Research: Games to Promote Empathy as a Literacy Practice: A New Teacher’s Playful Practice

Abstract

Researchers have advocated for the use of games for learning, yet few studies focus on games within English teacher education. Even fewer studies examine English Language Arts (ELA) teachers as designers of games. In this article, the authors examine a new ELA teacher’s design and implementation of a tabletop card game and explore what this game and its use in a middle school classroom illustrate about the purposes of games in secondary ELA. Data collection occurred across one year and included three semi-structured interviews and game materials. Key findings focus on games as (a) platforms for learning empathy as a literacy practice; (b) texts for story building and interpretive practice; and (c) ways to reimagine classroom learning. We discuss implications for teacher educators and teachers, including games in ELA curriculum, the use of games to reconceptualize schooling, and tensions that can arise when teachers incorporate games in classrooms.